Legend. H. HENRIC or HENRICVS.--VII. or SEPTIM.--D. G. DI. or DEI.--G. or GRA REX.--A. AN. ANG. ANGL. AGL. or ANGLIE.--Z.--F. FR. FRAN. FRANC.--DNS. HIBN. IBAR. or IBARNC.
Reverse.—Type. In his first coinage are the cross and pellets, but in his subsequent one the cross (fleury) is retained, but in the place of the pellets is a shield, France and England quarterly. The cross dividing the shield.
Legend. POSVI DEVM ADIVTOREM MEVM and its usual abbreviations. On the Groats and Half-groats the inner circle of legend bearing name of town is dismissed, its place being filled with the shield. In this reign the Testoon or Shilling makes its first appearance.
Rarity. Penny of first coinage extremely rare; Halfpenny rare; others common. Second coinage, Shilling with VII., Groat with SEPTIM., and Penny, rare; others far from uncommon.
Gold. The Sovereign and Double-sovereign now make their appearance; they have on the obverse the king, fully robed, sitting on a richly canopied throne, crowned, sceptre in his right, and orb and cross in his left, hand; reverse within a tressure of ten arches a large double rose, in the centre of which is a shield bearing the arms of France and England quarterly. In the space between the arches of the tressure and the outer petals of the rose are, alternately throughout, a lion and a fleur-de-lis. There are several varieties of this coin. The Rial has the king in a ship, on the obverse as before; on the reverse a rose with royal shield in the centre as first described. Angel and angelet much the same as those of his predecessors. Rial, Double-sovereign, and Sovereign, rare; others, common.
HENRY VIII. (1509 to 1547.)
Denominations.—Silver. Testoon or Shilling, Groat, Half-groat, Penny, Halfpenny, Farthing. Gold. Double-sovereign, Sovereign, Pound-sovereign, Half-sovereign, Rose-noble or Rial, George-noble, Angel, Angelet or Half-angel, Quarter-angel, Crown, Half-crown.
Obverse.—Type. His first coinage very closely resembles Henry VII. In his 15th year the Farthing has a portcullis. In his 34th year the head is almost full-faced, in a robe crowned with an open-arched crown. In his 36th and 37th years, full-faced portrait, on some with the cap.
Legend. H. HE. HERIC. HENRIC. or HENRICVS. VIII. or 8.—D. DI. or DEI.—G. GR. or GRA.—A. ANG. ANGL. or ANGLIE.—FR. FRA. FRAN. or FRANC.—Z. HIB. or HYB.—R. RE. or REX. Testoon, HERIC. VIII. DI. GRA. AGL. FRA. Z. HIB. REX. Penny, H. D. G. ROSA SINE SPINA; Halfpenny the same, or abbreviated.
Reverse.—Type. First coinage, like Henry VII., with only the numeral changed from VII. to VIII.; Farthing has a rose and cross or portcullis. The Testoon or Shilling has the royal rose, crowned with an open-arched crown, between the royal initials H and R also each crowned. The others with the cross and shield. There are many varieties with different marks of towns and prelates, where and by whom they were struck.